TOKYO (AP) — Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. She was 116.
Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of elderly policies, said Itooka died on Dec. 29 at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan.
Itooka, who loved bananas and a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink called Calpis, was born on May 23, 1908. She became the oldest person last year following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
When she was told she was at the top of the World Supercentenarian Rankings List, she simply replied, “Thank you.”
When Itooka celebrated her birthday last year, she received flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor.
Born in Osaka, Itooka was a volleyball player in high school, and long had a reputation for a sprightly spirit, Nagata said. She climbed the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake twice.
She married at 20, and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness.
Itooka managed the office of her husband’s textile factory during World War II. She lived alone in Nara after her husband died in 1979.
She is survived by one son and one daughter, and five grandchildren. A funeral service was held with family and friends, according to Nagata.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, the world's oldest person is now 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born 16 days after Itooka.
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This photo provided by Ashiya City shows Tomiko Itooka, being celebrated for her 116th birthday at the nursing home she lives in Ashiya, western Japan, on May 23, 2024. (Ashiya City via AP)
FILE - This photo provided by Ashiya City shows Tomiko Itooka, being celebrated for her 116th birthday at the nursing home she lives in Ashiya, western Japan, on May 23, 2024. (Ashiya City via AP, File)
LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia (AP) — More than 260 weak and hungry Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have landed in Indonesia in two boats, officials said Monday.
Police and military officers are working with the U.N. refugee agency and the local government in West Pereulak in East Aceh to gather more information about the refugees, who arrived Sunday evening, and keep them safe, East Aceh police chief Nova Suryandaru said.
“We will follow up their presence by coordinating with the UNHCR for further action,” Suryandaru said.
More than 300 Rohingya refugees have landed in East Aceh since last February.
About 1 million Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, are living in camps in Bangladesh after leaving Myanmar. They include about 740,000 who fled a brutal “clearance campaign” in 2017 by Myanmar’s security forces, who were accused of committing mass rapes and killings.
The Rohingya minority face widespread discrimination in Myanmar and most are denied citizenship.
Indonesia has appealed for help from the international community following a sharp rise in the number of Rohingya leaving the overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh since last year.
Indonesia, like nearby Thailand and Malaysia, is not a signatory to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention and is not obligated to accept them. However, the country generally provides temporary shelter to refugees in distress.
On Saturday, Malaysian authorities said they turned away two boats carrying nearly 300 Rohingya refugees attempting to enter the country illegally. The Maritime Enforcement Agency reported two more boats were trying to enter after 196 Rohingya landed Friday in the northeastern resort island of Langkawi, where they were detained.
Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ethnic Rohingya refugees including women and children who recently landed on two boats, sit on a beach during an inspection by local authorities in West Peureulak district, Aceh province, Indonesia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Husna Mura)
Ethnic Rohingya refugees who recently landed on two boats write their names on a whiteboard during an inspection by local authorities in West Peureulak district, Aceh province, Indonesia, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Husna Mura)
